<CHAPTER 14>
I howled at the golden moon.
“Oppa! Young and handsome oppa!”
“Wow, back in Pyeongseong you ignored me no matter how much I begged, and now you finally say it? I told you not to fix that personality of yours.”
“You ugly old man.”
“Ah, stabbing another dagger into my worn-out heart, are you?”
With that exaggerated lament, he stopped in front of a small cabin.
Shykan kicked the door open and strode inside, then tossed me unceremoniously onto the narrow bed.
As my head throbbed from the impact, his low voice fell over me.
“Sleep if you want, rummage around if you want, I don’t care.”
“Just don’t try to leave.”
“If you like being tied up, I can try that too.”
Unless I had some extremely twisted taste, who would enjoy being tied up…
I swallowed his words with a grimace and slowly sat up.
I collected myself and looked around the room.
Like most cabins, it contained only the bare necessities.
A simple bed and wardrobe.
A desk and chair beneath a fading lamp.
Messy documents and a few books.
He’s the captain, and yet it’s so plain.
Does he prefer practicality?
My gaze, wandering without much interest, stopped at one wall.
Spotless frames were lined up tightly together, the only decoration in the room.
I stepped closer and abruptly froze.
That’s… me?
As if updated data were proving reality, every frame was filled with me.
From childhood, when my front teeth were missing, to my current appearance.
Every version of me was smiling brightly.
It was a smile so happy that I could have mistaken myself for someone else.
When I touched one frame, a sharp chime rang out and a blue window popped up.
[ New Quest Discovered]
[Reward: Memory Fragment]
Seriously… and no reference image either?
As expected of a bug-ridden game, even the system was absurdly unfriendly.
Still, what choice did I have.
I shoved down my complaints and began touching everything in the room.
By the time I had searched every corner, the only things I gained were soot-blackened hands and an old bottle of liquor to soothe my frustration.
No one came to untie me during all that time, which almost made it insulting.
Are they all that busy?
That thought gradually shifted.
Would they even notice if I stepped out for a bit?
The window was facing the stern earlier.
If I’m careful, it might work.
Once the plan began to bloom, I moved to act.
Recalling the blueprint of the ship I had memorized before being locked in, I dragged a chair beneath the window and climbed up.
I pressed my ear to the glass first, checking for any sound, then carefully opened it.
As expected, there was nothing beyond the trailing edge of an oar.
I leaned my head out slightly.
And the moment I pushed the window halfway open—
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“Haaah!”
Shykan’s voice burst out of the silent air.
“Why are you so startled? Like a guilty person.”
“Well, that’s…”
He must have been leaning against the wall on guard, because he straightened his neck and shoulders as he stepped closer.
“Were you really trying to escape?”
“Do you like being tied up that much?”
“No!”
“If you keep lying, I’ll spank you, miss.”
He grinned shamelessly at his own crude joke.
For someone who once held the title of Paladin Commander, with no trace of sanctity left in those wicked eyes, piracy truly must be his calling.
Unbelievable.
I imagined shredding the old photos of us standing side by side in the past.
“Are you really my father?”
He paused, then stepped closer as if testing the weight of my words.
“And if I’m not?”
“Then why are there so many pictures of me in your room?”
Silence briefly settled between us.
He pressed his lips together, then spoke in a quiet tone.
“Why do you think people keep photographs instead of letting time pass?”
It sounded like a riddle.
Before I could find the answer, a large hand rested on my head.
“Because no one wants to forget their life.”
His red eyes deepened.
With warmth that matched that crimson glow, he gently stroked my hair.
For some reason, I felt like crying.
I wanted to wrap my arms around him and bury my face in his broad chest.
Just then, a shout rang out from the lookout.
“We’re approaching the island!”
Shykan withdrew as if waking from a dream.
Before I could regret the loss of warmth, he tapped my forehead.
“If you don’t want your legs broken, stay put.”
I rubbed my aching forehead and glanced again at the photos.
“Was I your entire life or something?”
According to the information window, he was thirty-three.
I was twenty.
Biologically, it wasn’t impossible.
But as a father-daughter relationship, the age gap felt tight.
He doesn’t feel like a real dad.
Maybe we just share similar hair color?
While I built hypothesis after hypothesis, the ship docked.
After some time, I peeked out through the slightly opened door.
Aside from one sailor guarding my cabin, there was little movement.
Most of the crates that had been stacked on deck were gone, likely carried ashore.
I turned back and picked up one of Shykan’s books, leaning against the headboard.
I couldn’t trust him yet.
But to obtain the first memory fragment, coexistence with him was inevitable.
If I have to stay, I might as well eat well.
Somewhere between boredom and strategy, I eventually drifted off to sleep.
—
No new named characters appeared in this chapter.
